


Imagine, If You Will

by CeliaEquus



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Afterlife, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Fix-It of Sorts, I really hope these tags make sense, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kid Fic, M/M, Multi, Present Tense, Second Chances, The death is right at the beginning, mentions of canon-typical violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-29 22:23:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10863306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeliaEquus/pseuds/CeliaEquus
Summary: What happens after we die?Imagine, if you will, that we are surrounded by darkness for a short time, and then – if we’ve been good – we are granted our heart’s desire.Imagine that Thanos is soon to be defeated, but that Peter Quill dies first.  He sees Nebula going for Thanos, but never gets the satisfaction of seeing the Titan die.  He is instead shot down, or gutted, or beheaded, maybe even blown to pieces.Peter gets a second chance at the happy childhood he desperately wants, with the parents he wants.





	Imagine, If You Will

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Perfect Family Peter should Have](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10840935) by [Leftpanda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leftpanda/pseuds/Leftpanda). 



> Note: SPOILERS for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2’. I was inspired by Leftpanda’s story ‘The Perfect Family Peter should Have’, so I wrote this fic. It’s in a different style: present tense, and the narration is speculative. Literally.

What happens after we die?

Imagine, if you will, that we are surrounded by darkness for a short time, and then – if we’ve been good – we are granted our heart’s desire.

Imagine that Thanos is soon to be defeated, but that Peter Quill dies first. He sees Nebula going for Thanos, but never gets the satisfaction of seeing the Titan die. He is instead shot down, or gutted, or beheaded, maybe even blown to pieces.

How he dies isn’t important. That itch or pain or burst of heat doesn’t matter. What matters is that, when he is in that darkness, he is judged to have done his best. It was a close call, but the number of lives he has saved outweighs his crimes. Whatever he did before the Guardians doesn’t matter anymore.

Because he once cried for a dead frog. His heart is pure.

Imagine that his heart’s desire matches with a mother who wanted to see her boy grow up, and a space pirate who wanted to be a better parent for the kid he grew to love.

Peter is not the only one given a second chance at a happier life.

 

When Meredith Quill dies, all she wants is to know that her son is safe.

But he isn’t.

She watches as he is kidnapped by aliens from right outside the hospital. The captain has finally realised what Ego is doing, and makes the decision to keep Peter aboard instead, using flimsy excuses and ridiculous threats. Meredith thinks that maybe things will be okay. Maybe Peter will be safe.

But life as a Ravager has too many perils, and she can only watch in helpless horror as her baby boy jumps from crime to crime, escaping death by the skin of his teeth. He knows how to defend himself, but will it always be enough?

Peter saves Xandar and becomes a Guardian of the Galaxy. Meredith couldn’t be prouder, although she finds his companions a little… strange. And they’re all a bit too fond of being renegades, instead of trying to obey the law.

When she sees Ego taking her son to his planet, Meredith screams, beats him, even though her fists go right through his body and her voice goes unheard.

The revelation that he caused her death not only breaks Peter’s heart, but her own.

“You don’t know a damn thing about love,” she tells Ego, “and _my_ son is gonna kick your celestial ass.”

Peter does, with the help of his friends. But the space pirate Meredith hated gives her son a chance to live, at the cost of his own life.

“Thank you,” she says, when his restless spirit joins hers.

“Wait, we have to watch your reckless son tearing about the universe and risking his life all the time?” Yondu says incredulously.

“Welcome to my world.”

“This is gonna suck.”

He does sort of mean it. But at the same time, he’s lying through his teeth. He wants to see Peter succeed and grow old and get everything he ever wished for.

During the battle against Thanos, Meredith and Yondu are watching, along with the spirits of loved ones watching over their own. Frigga is there. Maria and Howard Stark are there. Peggy Carter is there. Some who have died in battle have joined them, also watching with fear as the death toll grows.

It’s hard to keep track of Peter, or any of them. But one second Thanos is on the brink of defeat, and then Yondu and Meredith are fading. They try to hold on to each other, too used to the company by now to want to be separated, but it’s no use.

Peter needs them, but not like this. Not yet.

 

Imagine that a new world is created when someone is given a second chance. Or they’re taken to a different place, or a different time.

Maybe far into the future, when space travel is so advanced that people commute daily to different planets for work. Maybe Meredith is still human, and she’s seduced by an advanced being.

This time, the world is kinder to Peter. A little bit. Ego dies before he can do any more damage, but Meredith is still left alone and pregnant.

A Centaurian named Yondu Udonta dreams of being a father, but he’s one of the last of his kind, and doesn’t see himself getting the chance. So he wanders the galaxy during his holiday, until he reaches Terra and sits down in a bar in Missouri. A pretty blonde Terran serves him. He notices the bulge where a baby is growing, and also notices the lack of a ring. But that doesn’t have to mean anything.

A couple of early drinkers make crude comments about the Terran, though, and Yondu notices the tears she tries to hide.

“Leave the lady alone,” he says gruffly.

They jeer at him, ask him what he’s going to do about it. Yondu moves the lapel of his jacket, and whistles. His arrow presses up against the throat of one of the drunks.

“Either you apologise to the lady, or you both die where you stand,” he said. “It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other, but if you choose life, I suggest you get outta here right now.”

They’re just drunk enough to take him seriously, and mumble an apology before stumbling outside. Yondu summons the arrow to his pocket, and returns to his burger and fries. The waitress smiles at him, and mouths ‘Thank you’. He gives her a short smile in return. He’s not used to social interactions, at least not nice ones. Being a social worker means that he’s always watching for signs of domestic, child, or sexual abuse, and people hate the assessing stare he gives them. Even his co-workers get the same treatment, no matter how many times he sees them.

He was born with this need to protect, like he’s trying to make up for something he did in a past life. Working to get victims of abuse out of bad situations, well, that’s the best he can do. It never feels like it’ll be enough, which has gained him the reputation of a workaholic, and this enforced vacation, paid for by his co-workers.

When he calls for the bill, the Terran brings it over to him.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if you _had_ killed them,” she said. “But it means a lot that someone would go to those lengths. I need all the support I can get.” She touched her belly.

“What happened?” he asked. “Did he leave you, or was it a one-night stand? His family doesn’t approve?”

“I don’t know his family,” she said. “He died. Turns out he was cheating on me, so I had to get all the tests to make sure… sorry, you don’t need to hear all this.”

“I’ve heard worse,” Yondu said. “What about _your_ family?”

“They don’t approve,” she said. “I’m terrified of bringing up a child by myself. I don’t earn enough money here, and if I take on too many extra jobs, even if they were going, I could have a miscarriage, or hurt the foetus in some way.”

“Here.” He scribbled his number at the bottom of the bill. “I’ll be on Terra for a few weeks. If you need any help, let me know. I can get in touch with family services, or any other government agency for you.”

“But—”

“It’s my job. Just `cause I’m on vacation doesn’t mean I’ve left it behind. Let me help you if I can. Please.”

She nods. Yondu checks her nametag: Meredith.

“Thanks,” she whispers. He stands up, and tugs his coat into place.

“I’ll see you around,” he said.

He leaves before she can notice the five hundred credit tip he’s left for her.

She does call him, but not for help. She wants someone to talk to. Free health care is still hard to get, and Yondu puts the wheels in motion to find out what the hold-up is, but in the meantime he uses his contacts to get last-minute appointments for her, drives her everywhere she needs to go, and makes sure that she eats properly. She asks him to stay longer; he puts in a request for more leave, which is granted. She asks him to stay at her place, and the bed in the guest room is more comfortable than the one in the hotel.

Helping her stock the nursery with furniture and supplies seems natural. Flirting with her seems natural. Kissing her seems natural.

Falling in love is the most natural of all. He finds that out one night, staring at her sleeping face and swearing that he’ll never leave her.

Commuting is easy enough, but Yondu asks for a transfer so he doesn’t have as far to go to work, especially as Meredith enters the last stage of pregnancy. It’s even easier to convince her to marry him.

“I’m gonna be more of a father to him than the asshole who cheated on you,” he grumbles. “May as well make it official.”

“You wanna make an honest woman out of me, huh?” Meredith asks, running a finger along his crest. Yondu shivers.

“You and the boy,” he said. “But mostly I just wanna marry you.”

She kisses him again, and they can feel Peter kicking against their hands in delight.

Peter’s born two days late. Despite their silence during the pregnancy, Meredith sends pictures of him to her family. Yondu counts every finger and toe twice, and is extremely overprotective of his small family. He doesn’t neglect his work, but he delegates more, so he can spend time with his wife and their beautiful son.

“His hair’s getting kind of reddish, like your crest,” Meredith says, playing with the curly fuzz on Peter’s head while Yondu changes his diaper. “I hope he grows up to be just like his daddy.”

At first, Yondu thinks she’s referring to Peter’s biological father. But then he realises that she’s looking at him and smiling, and touching his hand, and he finds himself falling in love all over again.

There’s a new addition to the family. When Peter’s about to start school, Yondu insists on teaching him about responsibility. Peter’s been begging for a dog, so Yondu takes him to a shelter to pick out a mutt. Due to the markings on its face, Peter thinks it’s a raccoon at first, until Yondu shows him an actual picture of a raccoon, so they choose the name Rocket. Peter’s insistent.

“At least they’ll keep each other company when the new baby comes along,” Meredith says, watching Peter trying to train Rocket to jump over a log. Rocket’s more interested in exploring his pockets for candy.

“Yeah,” Yondu says. Then, “What?”

It’s another boy, and they name him Loki. They had other names in mind, but when he was born, his skin halfway between Meredith’s light cream and Yondu’s dark blue, they knew that the only name which fit was Loki.

“I’ll protect him, don’t worry,” Peter said, peeking in the baby carrier when they finally bring him home. Rocket sniffs Loki a bit, licks his feet until Loki squeals from the tickling sensation, and then trots off, apparently satisfied with the newest member of his pack. “And he won’t get to use the tree-house until he’s old enough. Daddy made me promise.”

“Even then, he’ll be wearing a harness,” Yondu says.

“Do you think he’ll like the tree-house?”

“I’m sure he’ll like Groot just fine,” Meredith replies.

Peter makes some friends at school. There’s an older boy who protects him from bullies on the first day, a kid with greyish skin and red tattoos called Drax. He introduces Peter to Nebula. After hearing about some of his dad’s cases, Peter soon recognises the signs of abuse, and tells Yondu. Within a few months, Nebula is officially Peter’s sister, and two years later they gain another adopted sister, a Terran named Natasha. She’s closer to Loki’s age, and promises to look after him when Peter leaves elementary school.

At high school, Peter meets even more Terrans. He still mostly sticks to Drax and Nebula, but he meets other kids, and even forms a band with some of them after they discover a mutual interest in music. He gets singing lessons, although he has some raw talent from listening to his mother’s play-lists growing up; Darcy plays guitar; Bucky plays percussion; and Tony plays keyboard. They don’t really intend to keep playing beyond high school, but they get hired for small gigs.

Tony’s lab partner, Bruce, ends up dating Natasha. Nebula and Drax date as well, and announce their engagement at Natasha and Bruce’s wedding. Loki and Tony clash for a long time, both highly intelligent, but find that when they work together they can make magic. Peter’s torn between Bucky and Darcy for a long time, moping a bit when they get together, until he finds out that they want him, too.

Eventually Rocket’s time comes to an end, and they bury him at the foot of the tree-house named Groot. Meredith and Yondu don’t have any more kids together, but they foster a lot of children transitioning to new households, and the tradition continues with Peter, Natasha, Nebula, and Loki, all fostering children. Loki and Tony even adopt some of their own.

Yondu and Meredith get the chance to grow old together, and to see Peter happy and safe. After they’re gone, Peter, Darcy, and Bucky move their family into the home, so Groot won’t be lonely, or end up being chopped down. And Peter gets the chance to grow old and see his friends and family happy, and his children safe.

 

Imagine all of this. Or, if you choose, imagine your own happy ending for them.

**Author's Note:**

> This wasn’t meant to be so introspective. I was trying out a different style, and it turned into… this.
> 
> Okay, implied character deaths are basically everyone mentioned being part of Peter’s second life. It’s implied that they’re there because they died in the battle against Thanos as well. Sorry to disappoint anyone. (Rocket and Groot happened because of Peter’s past life; I’m not implying that they’re dead.)
> 
> So… what happens after they’ve come to the end of their second chance? Final peace? Getting to see the people from their actual lives? Who knows???
> 
> Please review!


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